March 28, 1976 was troublesome day along D&RGW's Subdivision 6 in Utah. A westbound freight went on the ground at the west switch at Gilluly, a control point about 10 miles west of Soldier Summit. Derrick 026 was called out of Helper yard to work the east end of the derailment while derrick 029 was called out of Roper yard to work the west end. My father and I became aware of the derailment that day and drove to Gilluly to check it out. After finding a hillside overlooking the derailment, we captured this view on Kodachrome 64 slide film. Check out the variety of freight cars at the site including a piggyback trailer with a couple of containers thrown in. One can't help but wonder how the one block signal survived with the balance of the signals flattened under the rolling stock. I recall that a loose freight car truck rolled down the embankment that day during the clean up, stopping just short of US Highway 6. A memorable afternoon for a couple of Rio Grande fans, and a day to forget for the railroad.
